Tom Penick tomzap@eden.com www.teicontrols.

com/notes 4/7/00 Page 1 of 3

MODULATION

This document covers the basics of amplitude modulation AM and frequency modulation FM:
AMPLITUDE MODULATION, AM
For conventional AM:
Though the carrier component contains most of the transmitted power, it contains
no signal information.
The sideband information is redundant. Both sidebands contain amplitude and
frequency information about the message.
For a given bandwidth of channel (10KHz by law) the highest legal message signal
frequency is 5KHz.
The envelope is the message, so an envelope detector is a sufficient demodulator.

Expressions for the amplitude modulated signal:
[ ] 1 cos cos
out cc m c
v E m t t +
( ) ( )
carrier
upper sideband lower sideband
cos cos cos
2 2
cc cc
out cc c c m c m
mE mE
v E t t t + + +
14243
144424443 144424443

Amplitudes are in peak volts.

Carrier frequency and
sidebands:

+
amplitude
peak volts
carrier
frequency

2
mE
cc

c m

c

c
lower
sideband
cc
E
upper
sideband
frequency
m


Modulation index:
The ratio of the modulated signal amplitude to the carrier signal
amplitude.
m
cc
E
m
E


Lower sideband frequency:

LSB
2 2
c m
c m
f f f





Tom Penick tomzap@eden.com www.teicontrols.com/notes 4/7/00 Page 2 of 3

Minimum bandwidth required:

min USB LSB
2
2
m
BW f f

Carrier power:

( )
2
carrier (RMS)
c
L
v
P
R
, where
peak
RMS
2
v
v

One sideband power:

2
carrier (RMS)
SB
1
2
L
mv
P
R
_

,
, where
peak
RMS
2
v
v

Total power to load:

2
total
1
2
c
m
P P
_
+

,



FREQUENCY MODULATION, FM
For FM:
The maximum frequency deviation (FCC regulation) is 75 KHz.
Station frequency spacing is 200 KHz.

Expressions for the frequency modulated signal:
sin
out cc c f m
v E t M t 1 +
]

( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
( ) ( ) ( )
( ) ( ) ( )
0 1
2
3
cos cos cos
cos 2 cos 2
cos 3 cos 3
f c f c m c m
out cc f c m c m
f c m c m
J M t J M t t
v E J M t t
J M t t

+ + 1
]


+ + + 1
' ;
]

+ + + 1

]

L

Even for sinusoidal modulation the number of side frequency pairs is theoretically
infinite. The
( )
n f
J M functions are Bessel functions. Amplitudes are in peak volts.

The instantaneous frequency:
cos
i c m
f f f t + Hz
f
i
is the instantaneous frequency [Hz]
f
c
is the carrier frequency [Hz]
f is the frequency deviation [Hz]

m
is the modulating signal frequency or
message signal [rad/s]

Modulation index:
The ratio of the frequency deviation to the modulating signal
frequency.
f
m
f
M
f

Tom Penick tomzap@eden.com www.teicontrols.com/notes 4/7/00 Page 3 of 3


Minimum bandwidth required:
min
2
m
BW nf
where 1
f
n M + rounded to the next integer